Day 2: Composites in the Hydrogen Economy

Kelley Owen has over 25 years of experience in executive business management and IT consulting, including senior management positions in several corporations. At Discount Tires, he served as a director and member of the executive management, sharing responsibility for the operation of the company’s 135 locations with over 800 employees throughout California and Arizona. At International Transportation Services (Kline), he acted as director in charge of Information Technology and member of the executive management team operating four terminals with over 500 employees consisting of Long Shore Union members and management personnel transporting cargo worldwide. In addition, he was a senior consultant at Nestle Corporation working on the implementation of the company’s warehouse distribution system, a nationwide project covering Nestle’s eight distribution centers with a total warehousing capacity exceeding eight million square feet.

As a founder and CEO of Noble Gas Systems, Chris is primarily responsible for the R&D and business development functions, including developing customer and partner relationships. Chris also leads the day-to-day operations of the company, including the growing engineering, manufacturing, and project management groups.

Prior to working with Noble Gas Systems, Chris was a co-founder and Principal at Third Shore Group, a boutique technology commercialization and investment firm located in SE Michigan, acting as a finance and operations advisor to several of Third Shore’s clients and portfolio companies. Additionally, Chris managed the firm’s investment portfolio, including investments in conformable pressure vessel technology, which spawned Noble Gas Systems in 2017. Chris began his career in vehicle development at Chrysler, and has also worked in multiple early stage companies focused on fuel cell commercialization and vehicle electrification.

Chris received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Chris has also received two patents and has authored and co-authored four other pending applications related to conformable pressure vessels.

CEO, Umoe Adanced Composites
Mr Hamre has since 2013 been the CEO of Umoe Advanced Composites, a supplier of fibreglass-based pressure vessels. Prior to this, Mr Hamre was Head of Development and later CEO of Ragasco (owned by Hexagon Composites). He has also worked as a development engineer for fibreglass equipment at sports equipment supplier Swix. Mr Hamre holds a MSc in Material Science Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU.

Combining hands-on composites processing track record and strong composites industry market expertise, Gregoire has extensive sales and project management experience in advanced composites manufacturing technologies for aerospace, defence, industrial and sports applications. Grégoire joined Com&Sens as partner in 2019, with the aim of bringing the potential of fibre optic sensing technologies for the composites industry to the next level, opening the door to the industrialisation of ‘smart’ or ‘self-sensing’ composites structures.

Eli Voet has been involved with fiber optic sensors since the early days of his career, combining a unique combination of academic research and industrial experience track record. Eli was involved at FBGS as project manager while working on his Phd on embedded sensors for in-situ deformation monitoring of aerospace qualified composites. He then launched Geoptex, active in implmenting fiber optic sensing technologies for geotechnical applications before founding Com&Sens with his partner Geert Luyckx in 2012.

Ginger Gardiner, a senior editor at CompositesWorld, began writing for Composites Technology and High Performance Composites as a contributor in 2006. She was hired as senior editor of the now combined CompositesWorld publication in 2013. She is a co-author of the textbook Essentials of Advanced Composite Fabrication & Repair. Ginger has a degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University and began her career as a technical marketing representative in DuPont’s Composites Division for KEVLAR and NOMEX products in aerospace and marine applications.